Perhaps one of the most business related social media sites, Twitter allows users to keep up to date with everything that is happening in the world – from the latest news to new and upcoming products or brands. There are over 500 million tweets sent a day and in the United Arab Emirates 51% of social media users have a Twitter account.
Similarly to Facebook and Instagram, Twitter can be used to promote events, post short and engaging updates or to retweet content related to your business. The main difference between Twitter and other social media networks is that Twitter is about short, snappy tweets which can capture an audience in 140 characters or less. These may be connected to the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of a company with photos or comments about employees and clients achievements or simply something inspirational and currently trending. Twitter is all about inspiring your followers with your tweets so they want to follow you and share your content with others.
For small businesses, some believe Twitter provides the greatest exposure. In a recent survey, 57% stated that they had discovered a small business on Twitter (SwordandtheScript.com). The reason for this is that tweets reach a higher exposure than posts on other social media sites. The most popular tweets tend to be surveys or competitions as these get retweeted by people to their followers. Another important aspect with twitter is engaging with your audience through retweeting, getting mentioned, replying to comments on your tweets and liking your audience’s posts. The interactive conversational aspect of Twitter means that almost anyone can see your conversation with others; this increases the likelihood of discussion and therefore viral promotion. Through all of this interaction your business name gets boosted.
With twitter, there are a few things you should try and avoid to make your account more popular. Unlike Facebook and Instagram, on Twitter your tweets should be quite frequent, around 6 or 7 tweets a day. However, it is easy to tweet too much and bombard your followers with content. Tweets should be spread out throughout the day and not in one large batch. Twitter posts should show variety by alternating between photos, videos, updates, links and retweeted content your account will be more varied, interesting and engaging.
Twitter is a great way to promote your business and events that occur; these may be conferences or functions. Updates throughout these events via Twitter are a popular way of engaging and informing your followers about what is happening. On Twitter don’t be afraid to be different and original – the more interesting your tweets are the more likely someone is to follow you, the more followers, the more well-known your business is.
Follow Oakwood International: @Oakwood_Int
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